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One of the new Allen & Heath ME-1 personal mixers deployed for H.A.S.A., this one for the keyboard player.

German Space-Rockers H.A.S.A. Take Off With Allen & Heath ME-1

Personal mixers joined by an SQ-6 digital mixer as well as two AB168 AudioRacks in bringing added individual monitoring control to the band's five members.

Germany-based band H.A.S.A. (Heiner’s All Star Attraktion) recently updated its entire live sound inventory with an Allen & Heath SQ-6 digital mixer, two AB168 AudioRacks and five ME-1 personal mixers with support from audio engineer Klaus Bröckel (whose CV features Miles Davis, Till Brönner, Klaus Doldinger and festivals including JazzOpen Stuttgart, Jazzfest Rottweil and Bayern 3 Dorffest Open Air among others).

Bröckel says he has introduced many artists to the ME-1 and was well-placed to ensure the band enjoyed a smooth transition to the new system. While the five members of H.A.S.A had used IEM systems previously, the move to the ME-1 units has brought a new level of individual control and, as Bröckel describes, the switchover was straightforward: “At the first rehearsal with the ME-1s once the input levels were set on the SQ-6 everyone got into dialing in their mixes and within just a few songs everyone had a perfect in-ear mix.”

The ME-1 is a 40-channel personal mixer with level and pan controls, master 3-band EQ and limiter, aux input for external devices, plus a top panel ambient microphone that helps keep performers in touch with their surroundings. The ME-1 works with Allen & Heath digital mixers and can also be used with third-party mixers and audio interfaces via the use of a ME-U hub as well as optional Waves and Dante cards.

Initially the ME-1s were connected to an AB168 AudioRack and daisy-chained with a power supply for each unit, but ultimately, the band’s audio engineer Nils Ott built a half-rack sized enclosure with a POE switch fed from an AB168 and Ethercon connectors at the front to allow the ME-1s to be powered over Ethernet, simplifying set-up and minimizing cabling.

Bröckel describes the move to the ME-1 as “extremely easy, with each of the members getting to grips with it very quickly. The musicians have their own USB sticks to save their own set-up and I think everyone’s been amazed at the sound, ease-of-use and the level of personalised control that the ME-1s offer.”

Allen & Heath

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